Category Phoenix

by Boyd Ellanby

secret is bound to come out sooner or later."

  Dr. Haslam clasped his hands and stared at them for a long while. Hislined face looked grayer than ever.

  He looked up at last with a faint smile. "Well, my boy, I never askedyou to discover this stuff, but since you have--I hereby burn mybridges! You're right, we can't give it to Marley. But you can't handleit alone. What we need is time, and we haven't got it. We shall both beliquidated before this is over, there's no doubt of that, but we must dowhat we can. When is Tanya arriving?"

  "Tomorrow night, on the Playground Jet."

  "And you see Leader Marley when?"

  "Next Wednesday."

  "Five days yet. Then this is what we'll do. Too bad Lanza is in theother camp, but there's you and me, and I think Hudson and Faure fromSerology will come in with us. We'll need others--sociologists,anthropologists, psychologists--the most promising material from allCategories if we're to create a new society based on the prospect ofimmortality. But I'll see the first two and bring them to your apartmenttomorrow night for Tanya's welcome-home party. I leave it to you tomuzzle Leah."

  "That won't do," said David. "I don't have a current Free Choice."

  "But I have. Two, as a matter of fact, a reward for curing the insomniaof Leader Marley's wife. I choose to give a party, I choose tomorrownight, and I choose your apartment."

  A knock rattled the door, and the watchguard thrust in his head. "Howmuch longer is this here experiment going to take? Do you guys want tobe reported?"

  "Just finishing, Officer," called Karl. "You can leave the door opennow."

  "What a stink!" said the guard. "Thank God I'm in Military!"

  * * * * *

  It hardly seemed like a party, David thought. His guests were ill atease, and their conversation labored, then stopped altogether when theMenial came into the library with a tray of glasses and niblets.

  "Put them on the liquor cabinet, James," said David. "And that will beall. Enjoy yourself tonight."

  The Menial put down the tray and then stooped to fumble with the lock.

  "Let that alone! I've told you a thousand times not to monkey with myliquor cabinet!"

  "Don't you want me to get out the ice cubes, Doctor?"

  "I'll do it. You can go now."

  "But are you sure you won't want me later in the evening, Doctor? Who'sto serve the supper? Who's going to clear up afterward?"

  "We'll manage. Don't worry about us."

  James shuffled out of the room.

  "I suppose that means _I'll_ manage," said Leah, with a self-pityingsigh. "I've noticed that whenever people decide to rough it and dowithout a Menial, they take it for granted the women will do the work,never the men--unless the women are still young and pretty. Well, at anyrate, I'll have Tanya to help me. I still don't see why you wouldn't letme go to the Port to meet her, Dr. Wong."

  "I just thought it would be more of a celebration if we had a surpriseparty all waiting for her to walk into. Dr. Haslam will bring her heredirectly from the Port, and here we all are, her old friends from theInstitute, waiting to welcome her home."

  "I'd hardly say all," said Leah. "I'm the only person from Office that'shere. And why have a party in your Library, Dr. Wong? Nothing here butbooks, books, books."

  "Because I keep my liquor here, in the only room I have a right to lockup. My Menial is a good man, but he can't resist an opened bottle."

  "Well, it's still a gloomy party."

  David turned appealingly to his other guests, Hudson and Faure, but theyonly looked uncomfortable.

  "Perhaps we need a drink." David unlocked the cupboard and picked up abottle which he set down hastily when he heard voices in the hall. Hehurried to the outer door and opened it a few inches to reveal thesturdy shoulders of the watchguard of the floor and, beyond him, KarlHaslam.

  "Everything in order, Officer?" asked Karl.

  "Your permit is in order, Dr. Haslam. A private party. Let me justcheck--yes, three guests have arrived, and you two make five. That all?You have until midnight. But it beats me why you people in Researchprefer a party without a watchguard, or why Leader Marley ever givespermission. Why, in all my years in Military, I've never been to anunwatched party, and I must say it never held us down any."

  Karl laughed a little too forcedly. "I'll bet it didn't! But allResearch people are a little peculiar. You must have noticed thatyourself."

  "Well--"

  "And you know how generous Leader Marley is, and how kind he is to loyalcitizens. He wants us to be happy, so he pampers us now and then."

  "I guess he knows what he's doing, all right. Well, I'll check you outat twelve, then."

  "Go on in, Tanya," said Karl.

  They stepped into the apartment and David quietly closed the door.

  "Hi, Sis," drawled Leah. "You made us wait long enough!" She walkedtoward the girl, hand outstretched, then stopped with a gasp ofdisbelief.

  Tanya's red hair was still brilliant and gleaming, her creamy skinunlined, and her full red lips curved up into a friendly smile as sheleaned forward for a sisterly kiss. But Leah jerked away and glared withanger.

  A puzzled frown creased Tanya's lovely white forehead.

  "What's the matter, Leah? Aren't you glad to see me? You look sostrange, as though you'd been terribly ill!"

  Leah shook her head, tears of rage gathering in her pale eyes. "I'mokay," she whispered. "It's you. You haven't changed. I have. You'restill young, you're pretty, _you're just the way I used to be_!" Shewhirled to face David, her voice choking.

  "What have you done to her, Dr. Wong?"

  The four men in the room were all staring at the sisters, scarcelybelieving what they saw, although they had all been prepared for thecontrast. The twin sisters were no longer twins. One had retained heryouth; the other was faded, aging.

  "This is awful," Haslam muttered. "Absolutely ghastly." He put acomforting hand on Leah's shoulder, and with a deep sob she hid her faceagainst him and cried.

  Hudson and Faure could not take their eyes from Tanya, and David leanedagainst the wall to stop his trembling.

  "Sit down, all of you," he said. "First we'll have a drink. I'm sure weall need it. Then we'll face--what has to be faced."

  * * * * *

  An hour later, they had achieved a calmness, of sorts. They had given upsome of their normal sobriety to achieve the calm, but they weregrateful to the drug for cushioning the shock.

  David paced the floor, glass in hand, talking rapidly as he finished hislong explanation.

  "So you see what happened," he said. "When I began the experiment, I hadno idea how staggering the results might be. That is, I knew in my mind,but I never imagined the _realness_ of what would happen. I thought ofit as just an experiment."

  Leah sniffed, her resentment somewhat dulled by drink. "So I was just anexperiment! Don't you ever think about people's feelings? I know I'm notas good as you are; I'm only Office, but I'm human."

  Karl patted her hand. "Of course you are, Leah. But that is one of thedefects of people in Research--they forget about human emotions." Helooked up sternly at David. "They go ahead with their experiments, andhang the consequences. If Dr. Wong had had any sense, he would neverhave kept this a secret for ten years, and we might have had ten yearsto prepare ourselves for such a responsibility. Instead, we have only afew days or, at most, weeks. Hudson! Faure! How do you feel about thisthing now? Are you still game?"

  Both men seemed a little dazed, but Faure pulled himself together,speaking slowly, like a man in a dream.

  "We're with you. It's still hard to believe: we've got immortality!"

  "I'd hardly call it immortality," said Hudson drily, "since, as Iunderstand it, SDE does not kill disease entities, nor ward off bulletsor the disintegrating nuclear shaft of the needler--as we will verylikely find out before very long. But what do we do now? When people seethese two girls together, it won't be an hour before Marley hears aboutit."

 
; David spoke up with a new authority. "He must not hear about it. I knowhow poorly equipped I am to handle this situation, but since I createdit, I must assume responsibility, and I have made my plans.

  "First, you, Tanya. Try to realize that if the Leader finds out that Ihave this secret of keeping youth, he will want it for himself. Nobodyin Menial, nobody in Office, nobody in Research--almost nobody atall--will be allowed to benefit from it. Marley will